LIABILITY TO ERROR. 495 



own naked master, who has gone to bathe, leaving his 

 clothes in his dog's guardianship. Some very ludicrous 

 incidents have occurred from this kind of stupidity and 

 fidelity : when a dog refuses to permit the bather's clothes to 

 be touched by their own proprietor, not recognising him in 

 puris natumlibus. Here change of dress or what is equi- 

 valent absence of his master's usual garb, is the simple and 

 obvious cause of the dog's mistake. Something analogous 

 occurs in the case of newly shorn, or washed sheep, which 

 are not at first, or readily, recognised by each other, so that 

 there is always, for a time, great confusion of personal iden- 

 tities among sheep, after their clipping or dipping (White). 

 On the other hand, some fatal accidents to man have occurred 

 from this combination of stupidity and fidelity in the dog. 

 Simple haste in not taking time to make sure of their iden- 

 tity leads the dog to attack, with equal fury and determi- 

 nation, supposed or imaginary, and real strangers or 

 enemies (Pierquin). 



' There is no more horrible, and at the same time, authen- 

 tic dog-story, than that of the huntsman, who, hearing a 

 tremendous yelping in the kennel one night, went down in 

 his shirt, with his double thong in his hand, to quell the 

 disturbance. But the hounds did not recognise their master 

 without his scarlet coat, and they literally ate the huntsman 

 up.' 1 



Various birds break their eggs, or destroy their nests 

 when either have been simply meddled with (Houzeau). 

 The mere soiling of the young is a cause of dislike to them 

 on the part of the mother guinea pig (Cassell) an error 

 surely of over- cleanliness. 



The following are illustrations of errors, the causes of 

 which are at present problematical. We can only make 

 guesses at them. 



1. Salmon killing themselves in myriads, by leaping on 

 dry land jumping c out of the frying pan into the fire.' 

 Probably they are pursued, in such cases, by some formidable 

 and relentless enemy. 



1 Daily Telegraph,' October 7, 1874. 



